Sweetness is one of the key attributes of a flavored nut spread such as a flavored peanut spread. The desired sweetness in a flavored peanut spread is obtained by adding sugar at levels of about 15% or greater. The process for adding and uniformly distributing sugar at that level in peanut paste is difficult to achieve because of the high viscosity of the paste and the need to use finely milled sugar. The high particle surface area between the sugar particles and the peanut paste increases the energy required to wet and deagglomerate the mixture. As a result, a long mixing time can be required to reduce the viscosity of the flavored spread to an easily spreadable consistency.
The mixing time for flavored spreads can be reduced by using a more intensive mixing process such as high shear mixing. However, the equipment required for such high shear mixing (e.g., colloid mill) can be expensive. Also, intensive mixing such as high shear mixing can degrade the flavor quality of the flavored nut spread.
Accordingly, it would be desirable to be able to formulate a flavored peanut spread that: (1) is easily spreadable; (2) has a high level of sugar; (3) does not require high shear mixing equipment to make; and (4) has the flexibility to provide different flavored products.